It might have been at the Bannered Mare, the streets of Whiterun, or by the stables.
Whatever the case, chances are you’ve gotten into a fistfight with Uthgerd the Unbroken.
I only managed to survive the first time thanks to the Healing spell and copious Potions of Minor Healing I’d managed to accumulate before bumping into Uthgerd.
Since then, I’ve prepared myself before speaking to the grizzled Nord warrior, who went on to become one of my favorite followers.
Capable with one-handed weapons and dangerous with a bow, Uthgerd is a fierce warrior (and a solid marriage option too). But a warrior is never done improving. And mods can help Uthgerd reach her full potential.
Uthgerd is a fantastic travel companion, but getting her to follow you can be a tall order for a mage, a rogue, or any other character type who’d suck at bare-handed combat.
Generally, you can get around it one way or another, but it can break your immersion.
These “squishy” characters would benefit the most from a stalwart protector like Uthgerd, so a mod like Rjinthematrix’s Uthgerd the Buddy is a must for anyone planning a long-ranged/magic playthrough.
This mod simply skips the brawl, making Uthgerd a potential follower from the beginning. Just imagine she’s your pen-pal or something!
The one reason you might prefer to travel with Lydia rather than Uthgerd – other than the apparent age difference – is how ridiculously loyal Lydia is.
Uthgerd, on the other hand, will turn on you at the first sign of violence toward innocents and other illegal behavior.
The Uthgerd Updates mod by SterkOks is an easy way to brainwash Uthgerd into abiding by your less-than-virtuous moral compass.
Uthgerd may be an honorable warrior, but she’s also human.
Maybe you gave her some cash on the side. Or perhaps she’s in love with you.
Either way, she won’t immediately attack you the next time you accidentally steal a Rabbit Haunch.
I understand the people who overlook Uthgerd as a potential travel companion because of her age.
She could pull a muscle in her lower back from the weight of the armor.
And what if she forgets we’re allies next time she gets up in the morning and decides to kill me?
Uthgerd Refreshed by Roniellio helps clear your doubts about this experienced swordswoman by tampering with the space-time continuum and bringing back a younger Uthgerd.
The mod also makes her essential, better at sneaking, and fixes her combat stats to match her equipment. Specifically it makes her good with two-handed weapons rather than one-handed.
But most of us wouldn’t approach her looking for love at the Bannered Mare.
Chao’s Good-Looking Uthgerd changes this unfortunate reality by transforming this brawl-loving lady into the quintessential Nord bombshell.
As if that wasn’t enough, it also gives her the skimpiest steel armor that Skyrim has ever seen.
This new-and-improved Uthgerd also had her one-handed/two-handed confusion fixed for better immersion.
Get this mod and turn Uthgerd into a young adventurer fledgling who’s just been rejected from the Companions, rather than the bitter old woman we get in vanilla Skyrim.
Another solid mod to make this mighty follower just a little bit better-looking without losing her scars or hair color is MaximillianPs’s Uthgerd.
MaximillianPs cites his inspiration for this mod to be Uthgerd’s Italian voice-actress, who sounds fairly younger than vanilla Uthgerd looks. For him, it’s just fixing an immersion issue for Italian players.
To be honest, she even looks a bit Italian, though that might be my brain playing tricks on me.
Now if you want to take Uthgerd’s youth to the extreme, you can’t go wrong with Younger Uthgerd by Cicada3301.
This version of Uthgerd is just too cute to be true.
Her facial features have been changed to give her baby-smooth skin, delicate features, and the tiniest mouth. She really looks like she just turned 18 and decided to explore her newfound independence by becoming an adventurer.
Creator Pandorable is known for beautifying almost every character in Skyrim, and for some famous modded followers like Sofia and Kaidan.
Of course, Uthgerd couldn’t be left out.
The Warrior Women pack overhauls Uthgerd and Mjoll, making them both look just a little bit like Fox News anchors.
The mod includes versions with and without wrinkles for both ladies, but it definitely works best with the wrinkles.
It gives Uthgerd the look of a 40-something gym mom who knows who she is and how much she can bench-press. And that’s the kind of energy you need in your staunchest protector.
But the best thing you can do for Uthgerd and most other warrior ladies in Skyrim is installing Bijin Warmaidens by Rxkx22.
In Japanese, “Bijin” means something like “beautiful person”.
This mod honors its namesake by beautifying 22 dangerous women, including Lydia, Aela, Adelaisa, and Uthgerd.
This is by far the most appropriate overhaul for Uthgerd’s appearance, making her as attractive as a Hollywood actress without taking away her warrior’s gaze.
It’s like a younger Sandra Bullock playing Uthgerd the Unbroken.
Nelson Chitty is a Venezuelan expat living in Argentina. He’s a writer and translator passionate about history and foreign cultures. His ideal weekend is spent between leisurely playing games of Civilization VI and looking for the next seinen anime to marathon.
